The new rules, which take effect in early 2023, will require the rescue of 3.5 kg of wood for each square foot that is demolished. If a house has an area of about 3,000 square feet, for example, that means more than 10 tonnes will have to be saved. “It will create a secondary market for these products that will be resold and reused and given a new lease of life,” said Mayor Mike Little. “It may have been a tree for hundreds of years, then it will be a house for 100 years, then it will be furniture for another 50 years. “It is trying to create second lives so that we do not have so much waste entering our waste stream,” Little said. The statute focuses on homes built before 1950, matching similar statutes in Vancouver because the materials are easier to decompose. According to Little, newer construction techniques, which often lead to more efficient homes, also lead to more waste, as components are difficult to separate and reuse. Older homes in the area, on the other hand, are often built of solid old wood that can be cleaned, nailed and re-installed in a new home, furniture or other works. “We want to recycle, recycle, divert as many of these buildings as possible,” said Little, who said that of the approximately 100 homes demolished in the area each year, between 20 and 40 were built before 1950. The site will start charging a $ 250 administrative fee for demolition, along with a $ 15,000 down payment, which will be refunded in full if the required amount of wood is disposed of for reuse. Little said some developers may see $ 15,000 as the “cost of doing business” and choose not to save the required timber, but he hopes everyone will comply and the district will not hold any deposits. He said the deposit would initially be $ 10,000, but was increased to encourage more compliance. Although the new area regulations are more similar to Vancouver City, there are other rescue requirements for demolition in Port Moody, Surrey, New Westminster, Richmond and Victoria.
